Lipstick Love!

For topic 11 of the blogger challenge,  we have to write about collections. As I already did a post about my nail polish collection for a previous topic, I decided to do a top 5 for my other make up collection; lipsticks! 

I have over 50 lip products so it's quite difficult to decide on my favourites but I think I've managed to cut them down to a top 5 pinks and others!

The Pinks

Left to right: MUA Luxe Velvet Lacquer in Funk, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon, Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate Moss in 101,
Chanel Coco Rouge in 62 Irrésistible, Sleek Matte Me in Petal.

I mostly wear pink lipstick as it suits me really well, looks good all year round and goes with a majority of my outfits.
For a few months earlier this year, I became obsessed with light pink lipsticks and found the holy grail when I discovered Revlon's Pink in the Afternoon. It's creamy and has the nicest colour that in my opinion is a perfect light pink lipstick.
Rimmel's Kate Moss Matte lipstick is also a brilliant pale pink but is matte instead. This line is easily one of my favourites and this shade doesn't disappoint. This lipstick is equal with the Revlon for colour I think, maybe even slightly better, but is a bit less natural due to it being matte.
Funk is another matte lipstick but it's a liquid lipstick which means it applies with an applicator. This makes it a little trickier to apply but I love this colour and the look it gives - for £3 it creates a gorgeous lip and the colour doesn't budge for ages compared to usual lipsticks which is a major plus! This is the best lipstick I have for staying power out of the 10 I am showing by far, possibly in my entire collection! I just wish they did a bigger range of colours!
Petal is a newer discovery and is really gorgeous; I've worn it so many times already! It's another matte liquid lipstick and I would say it is most similar to Rimmel's 101 in colour, maybe a little darker. This one was easier to remove than the MUA but the extra price is still worth it as Sleek have a better colour range.
The Chanel lipstick is honestly my most loved lipstick as it's my first proper high end lipstick (MAC not being counted...I mean over £15). Mum bought it as an end of exams present when we last went to London as a family. It has a shimmer to it and is slightly darker than the other pinks but is so wearable and I tend to just put it on as I'm about to leave when I can't choose a colour to wear as it goes with everything! It also has a faint smell of rose which is absolutely heavenly, it reminds me of my macarons! It also lasts for a long time despite not being matte. I really want to save up and get some more of these lipsticks as they're so pretty and the colour range available is just incredible!

Left to right: Funk, Pink in the Afternoon, 101, 62 Irrésistible, Petal.

The Others

I decided that I had far too many favourites (and pinks!) To do just one top 5, so these are my favourites out of my other lipstick shades that I own!

Sorry for the slightly out of focus photos - the lighting was really iffy so I eventually gave up and picked the best out of a really bad bunch!

Left to right: Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker gloss stick in Raplumzel, Miners The Matte Factor in Deep Red,
Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick in 107, The Body Shop Born Lippy stick Lip Balm in Plum,
MAC Amplified in Dark Deed.

The darker colours I own are mostly for Autumn and Winter as they go better with my outfits during that time. However, sometimes I feel like cracking out a red lip in Summer to mix things up a bit and I wear either Rimmel's Matte Lipstick in 107 or Miners' matte liquid lipstick in Deep Red as they're both great colours with long wear times. 107 is a darker red while Deep Red is closer to a dark pink despite the name. However, both are great and even though the swatches aren't brilliant, they are really lovely and matte. The Rimmel is my favourite of the two as it smells amazing and feels better on the lips. The Miners is still good and smells sweeter, like vanilla cupcakes but is trickier to apply as it requires an applicator, like the MUA and Sleek colours.

The Soap and Glory gloss stick is such a gorgeous colour that, despite being glossy, lasts for quite a while and looks amazing while giving off great colour. I have this in a pink that I got with a set around Christmas but I prefer this as the colour is super pretty.

The body shop lip balm is tinted so I counted it here as I've been wearing it a lot recently because it's so moisturising! The colour it gives off is obviously subtle but it's really pretty and gives a nice wash of colour. It also smells amazing - I think it's quite similar to the Maybelline Baby Lips and I think this one is more comfortable on the lips apart from Cherry Me, which is still a firm favourite. 

Dark Deed was bought for me as part of a pack this Christmas and I absolutely love it. It's the darkest lipstick I own so it's not brought out often because it's quite difficult to wear but when I do, it's perfect. It doesn't last as long as I would like but I have a lip liner that came with it to solve that problem. 

Left to right: Raplumzel, Deep red, 107, Plum and Dark Deed.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, I know I enjoyed really looking through my lipstick collection and choosing my favourites. Let me know some of your favourites and what you think of these! 

Jess xx

Favourites of 2013

I would do posts with specific topic favourites but there isn't enough time left in this year to do that so I thought I would put all of my favourite things from this year into one bigger post!

Make Up

BadGal Lash Mascara - Benefit 

I love this so much and always reach for it when I'm wearing make up. It makes my lashes look so much longer while still looking natural which I think is really great! It also doesn't give me panda eyes and only comes off if I rub my eyes so for a non-waterproof mascara, it's amazing! My new MAC mascara might overtake though because it's also amazing!

Bahama Mama - Essie

I know I didn't get this too long ago but I love it so much that I couldn't not include it! The colour is probably one of my favourite Essie shades that I've tried out to date and it's such a great colour for this time of the year. 

Alice in Wonderland eyeshadow palette - Urban Decay
I've actually had this for years and will do a proper review eventually, but I started using more make up this year and these eyeshadows are by far my favourites. The colours are all limited edition and they're so gorgeous, mainly shimmery which I love, and so long lasting!

Kate Matte Lipstick in 107 - Rimmel
I've already reviewed this here but I have to include it as I wore it so much this year. I love the colour, the smell, how long it lasts, just everything! If you only ever buy one red lipstick, make it this one because it's probably my favourite.

Whipped Creme Foundation in Natural - Max Factor
This is the first foundation I've tried that actually covers up the redness and dry patches by my nose so that says a lot. It's so light and the shade is perfect for me so I'm really happy to have discovered this beauty!

Baby Lips - Maybelline
These have been saviours on more occasions than I can count. They smell amazing, look amazing and give a subtle wash of colour if you aren't feeling too adventurous. They also make my lips super soft which is great!

Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudists and Raplumzel - Soap and Glory
I love these so much. Both colours are fantastic, applying them is super simple and they last for quite a long time for glosses. I reviewed Raplumzel here.

Books

How To Fall In Love - Cecelia Ahern

I bought this for 99p on my kindle a few of days ago and I finished it yesterday. I'm not usually a fast reader but I tend to read faster on my kindle and when the book is good and boy, was this book good. I love Cecelia Ahern and the new book of hers is no exception. It's such a sweet story about helping someone else and inadvertently helping yourself at the same time. Cecelia definitely knows how to write a good character and a realistic storyline, I recommend this book 100%!

The Last Letter From Your Lover - Jojo Moyes

I read this book over my half term holiday as it was the only one that looked interesting in the sadly lacking selection of books that they had at the holiday home. I'm so glad I decided to pick it up though as I was, again, completely hooked! I didn't like how it was written point of view wise but once you get over that, it's such a great read and has a great ending that was unexpected and so heartwarming! There are a lot of lost memory, self discovery books out there but out of the ones I've read, this is probably my favourite one by far! It follows two storylines in different times and the ending brings them both together in such a great way! It's almost a love story mixed with a detective story and I found it so exciting, I had it finished in about 5 days, in between going out and doing holiday homework!

Films

Despicable Me 2
I loved the first one and this one was possibly even better! The minions are my favourite things in any film, they're so adorable! Apparently they're making a minions film so I'm super excited for that!

Monsters University
I saw this twice, once at the cinema near college who hold a free film night once a month and another later on. First off, it started with a short film called "The Blue Umbrella" which is honestly the sweetest thing on this planet. I loved this film so much, it was funny to see all of the characters we know and love earlier on and to see how they became that way (Randall anyone?!).

General

Costa
The mid-week saviour for me and a couple of friends. It's quieter than the Starbucks just down the road as less college students are there so it's perfect for chatting and getting on with work as it feels more relaxed and laid back. Another plus point is that their coffee doesn't make me feel ill which is always nice!

Car boot sales
I only really went to these in Summer with Mark as my mum doesn't like them but they were always so much fun! I got some amazing deals on a lot of books and just trawling through all of the stuff at each stand made it just that bit more satisfying when I found something great.

My Burgundy Crew jumper
I've only had it for a week or so but I love it and it's probably my favourite jumper I have. It's super warm, looks great and is a really pretty, neutral colour. Definitely going to be a firm favourite for 2014 too!

I hope you guys enjoyed looking through my favourite things from this year, it was quite hard to choose as I've changed a lot and have quite a short memory span so thinking back to Summer is hard, let alone January!

Jess xx

My Recent Make-Up buys

I don't have a lot of time to write out loads of reviews so I thought that I would do one mini review of each product and a swatch if I can (it's obviously quit difficult to do 2 nail polishes at once!) in one longer post!

Over the last couple of months, I've bought a fair bit of make up due to freebies in magazines, sales or just an impulse buy! 

My most recent pieces! 
From left clockwise: Body Collection maxi lipstick in Vixen, Rimmel Apocalips lip laquer in Nova,
Nails Inc/Kate Spade nail polish in Big Apple Red, Essie nail polish in Bahama Mama, Miners Matte Factor lip paint in Deep Read, Technic whipped foundation mousse in Natural, Benefit Coralista lip gloss, Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker gloss stick in Raplumzel and Eyeko Skinny Mini liquid eyeliner in Black.

Body Collection maxi lipstick - Vixen

I bought this during my half term holiday in Norfolk at a Department store. I found some clearance bins and decided to have a rummage to see what I could find and picked up this! I'd never heard of the brand before but it was only £2 or something so it was worth the risk! It smells really plastic-y and I'm still not 100% sure on the colour, I think it's the wrong shade of red for me but who knows, I might grow to love it eventually! It isn't drying on the lips though and seems to last a decent amount of time.

Rimmel Apocalips lip laquer - Nova

I was so happy to find this in the same bargain bin for only £2.99 as opposed to the usual £6.49! The colour is quite nice but tends to cling to the dry patches on my lips which is annoying, I love the applicator though!

It's brighter in person!

Nails Inc/Kate Spade nail polish - Big Apple Red

This was a freebie with last month's issue of Glamour magazine and it's a gorgeous bright, festive red! I wore it a few weeks ago and it was so nice! The applicator isn't as nice as Essie's but it did the job with minimal skin painting! It lasted quite a long time before chipping which is always nice and I'm really happy I got this colour, it's completely perfect for this time of the year! I just wish I could go back and buy the silver one too, they would look so good together! Sadly they were only available with the magazine so too late now. I don't have a swatch because I didn't think to take a picture while I was wearing it (oops)!

Essie - Bahama Mama

I bought this specifically as a more muted colour to wear at my interview at Reading on wednesday and I'm completely in love! Essie never fail to disappoint! It's such a gorgeous plum colour that goes with everything - it's also great for this time of year as it adds a bit of colour but isn't too bright - almost like a neutral!

Miners Matte Factor lip paint - Deep Red

Another Norfolk buy, only £3.99 and usually only available online so I got really excited when I found this! This has been my go to lip product for the last few weeks or so! I absolutely love it and it reminds me of the Collection lip creams a lot - they even have the gorgeous vanilla cream scent! It goes on really smoothly and lasts for a good few hours! I love the colour too, it's darker than in the picture but is such a wearable colour! My favourite red lip product by quite a way I think! It will be great for this festive season, it matches my Crew fair isle jumper really well!

It's more red - this makes it look quite pink!

Technic whipped foundation mousse - Natural

I bought this in Norfolk for £3.99 as a stand in for my Max Factor whipped creme foundation sample that I was using (finally bought the full version and it's incredible!) and it was good for the price! Now I have my proper foundation, I don't know how much use it will get as it's more drying and clings to my dry patches more but it was good as a filler and matched my skin tone really well!

The colour of my face and hand differ quite a bit so while it looks orange here, it's actually the right colour for my face! (This swatch isn't blended in, it's easier to see the colour like this.)

Benefit lip gloss - Coralista
I got this as a freebie in the last issue of Elle magazine which was rather exciting, getting mini versions of more expensive brand products is always a good, it gives you the chance to see if the full price is worth it or not! Personally, I would never pay £14.50 for a lip gloss anyway but I don't really like this product as much as I thought I would. It is such a pretty colour and has a really lovely smell but the colour just disappeared when it was put on my lips. It makes my lips feel quite soft and it's not sticky but it's also quite drying and I catch myself rubbing my lips together more often than I would like. I'm not a huge fan of lip glosses anyway and this one hasn't changed my mind very much - give me a lipstick any day! It's a nice freebie but if I had the chance, I wouldn't buy it because it's vastly overpriced for something with the same quality I would expect from something half or a third of the price. This is definitely a case of paying for the name rather than the quality.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker gloss stick - Raplumzel 

Now for the other side of the lip gloss spectrum. After picking up a gloss stick in Nudist with the Girl O Whirl gift set a few weeks back, I've been hooked on these crayon shaped beauties. I knew I had to buy more colours so I opted for Raplumzel, a deep plum colour. (It was also probably also influenced by the fact that there were only 4 left across the range and it was the only one not tampered with, but luckily that was the colour I wanted the most!) I LOVE this product. It goes on so smoothly, it's pretty much just colouring in your lips which is so satisfying! I love how it's in stick form because it makes application so much simpler and not feel like an actual lip gloss. The colour is great and it's so softening and moisturising, it also lasts quite a long time for a 'gloss', if you can call it that! This is definitely worth the money at £8.00 from Boots but probably the most I'll pay for a lip gloss. 

The colour is brighter and darker in person! 

 Eyeko Skinny Mini liquid eyeliner - Black

I am horrendous at doing liquid eyeliner so I always opt for pen versions as they are easier to use! I love this one from Eyeko as the pen is really thin so if you have a really steady hand and quite a bit of time to make sure it's perfect, you can do a subtle thin line that looks amazing! I wear this quite a bit and it doesn't budge throughout the day which is quite impressive because my eyes tend to water a lot in the cold weather. I got this as a freebie from Glamour magazine 2 issues ago and I will definitely be buying it again - a full sized version is £10 and comes in black, brown, purple and blue!

I apologise for the bad line as I find it quite difficult to do sometimes! The mascara I'm wearing is BadGal Lash from Benefit, a firm favourite of mine!

This post was significantly longer than I expected it to be but it was so much easier creating one post with little reviews as opposed to lots of smaller posts trying to come up with a decent length post about a product that I haven't got a lot to say about! I think if I recommended any of the products, they would be the Essie nail polish, Miners lip paint, Soap and glory gloss stick and eyeko eyeliner.

Let me know if you prefer this or individual posts! 

Jess xx

Soap and Glory Girl-O-Whirl Gift Set

I've been feeling quite under the weather the last few days so to cheer myself up, I went to Boots today and bought the Soap and Glory Girl-O-Whirl gift set! It was on offer this week for £19 down from £40 so I decided that I would treat myself and I bought it!

I've never really tried Soap and Glory products so I'm really excited to see what this set is like!

It comes in a gorgeous, sleek zip-up case with the soap and glory emblem on the front. I think it's quite big but I love the layout in the case. It's thin enough to slip into a larger handbag so would be good for travelling somewhere for a few days as it has pretty much everything a girl needs for a face of make up! 

Such pretty packaging!

I love the layout, I can't wait to properly try everything out!

The set contains: 

- 6 Lidstuff eyeshadow shades

- 6 Supercolourfabulipstick shades 

- Thick & Fast super volume mascara

- Sexy Mother Pucker gloss stick in Nudist

- Glow All Out luminizing highlighter

- Solar Powder bronzer

- Eyeshadow brush

- Lip brush

- Blusher brush

The eyeshadow shades are perfect - there's a great mix of neutrals and brights with matte and shimmer shadows which is great for mixing and matching looks! I'm really excited to see how they look on and how long they stay for!

From top to bottom: Vanilla, Minky,  Wild Blue, Dandy Plum, Black Gold and Smokin' 

This is the only part of this kit that I've tried so far and I love it. I've never used a crayon lip product before and I quite like it! The colour is absolutely perfect, a brighter pink than my lips with a slight shimmer to make them look subtly prettier! Another great feature is the twist up bottom when you've worn it down enough! It's like a massive lip gloss in chap stick form which I really like!  

I love the packaging!

I've never used a crayon style lip product before!

Once I've tried the rest of the products, I will update you on what I think! 

Sadly, today is the last day of the Boots offer, I was a bit late on the bandwagon! It says on the Soap and Glory website that it is coming soon there though so hopefully you'll be able to get your hands on it imminently! 

Jess xx

P.S. I also justified buying this afterwards as a pre-emptive congratulations to myself - I've been given an ABB offer from Birmingham University! I'm super excited because Birmingham was one of my favourites!